We were planning on adding a new category to the site, works in progress. The catch is that everything is a work in progress. Dishes can always be better, or evolve or just change. On the other hand, a finished dish is just that finished. If it is on the plate and served it is done whether you like it or not.
The question then arises about the moment of readiness. When is the dish ready to be served? What else can be improved and refined? How much rehearsal do you really need? I know that something can be improved upon daily, but the problem is that if you are constantly trying to perfect something there is no finish line. Recently I have been working on shrimp ravioli. One would say a work in progress. Yet in our kitchen we do not have the time or space to conduct multitudes of tests and trials. We must get it right quickly or file the idea. I began the dish by working out a recipe for a light shrimp paste that became the ravioli skin. We then used our cauliflower base as the filling for the ravioli. Once the ravioli were formed Aki and I discussed accompaniments to the shrimp-cauliflower ravioli. We finalized the dish with morel mushrooms, young basil leaves, ramp kimchee and grated Vella Jack cheese.